Book reviews from Colorado College staff, students, and faculty.
Email us your reviews at tuttref@coloradocollege.edu.

Reviewed by Diane Westerfield

This book is a collection of supernatural-leaning stories, all with a central theme of relating to Vietnam and Vietnamese people. Frangipani Hotel is the first book by Violet Kupersmith, the daughter of a Vietnamese mother and American father. The stories are based on folktales Kupersmith's grandmother told her.

The pieces are haunted by ghosts or other supernatural beings, but other specters lurk behind. Omnipresent in the background are the Vietnam war, the perils of modernization, and the tension between East and West. Characters living in the modern day or even in the United States can't escape the past.

Although not all stories in this collection are equally good, some are exceptional. Particularly noteworthy is "Reception", which features the Frangipani Hotel from the title. I suspect this story will be reprinted in many future anthologies. In general the stories tend towards a folktale feel, which may attract some readers and repel others. To readers who eschew graphic descriptions: there are a few brief gruesome scenes, but nothing as bad as Stephen King at his grisliest.

Wilkie Collins is justly famous for his works "The Woman in White" and "The Moonstone". He wrote many other novels, perhaps not as great but some worth reading by folks who enjoyed the above two titles. And since they are all pre-copyright (originally published before 1923), anyone can read the digitized novel online, for free.

I picked one of the author's novels at random: "Man and Wife". Once again Wilkie Collins turns out vibrant character portraits that compel the reader forward. The plot structure itself is not always so intriguing. We get quite an earful on the poor state of Scottish marriage law as it existed in the 19th century. There is also considerable argument over whether young gentlemen of the era spent too much time at athletic and gaming endeavors, at the expense of their moral and intellectural development.

What is really interesting is the author's devotion to the plight of women in regards to marriage. An unmarried woman could be exposed to scandal and denied lodging just for traveling alone. A married woman was subject to the abuse of her husband. Only women with money of their own or rich relatives/friends could escape from a bad marriage. (Wilkie Collins didn't adhere to the Puritanical standards of the time in his personal life and it's obvious he doesn't care much for hypocritical and empty ceremony.)

As to the story: two young women, the best of friends, become separated over an unfortunate series of events. One is seduced, effectively deserted, and tricked into being "married", or at least the appearance of being married, to the other woman's fiance. Are they really married? Will the seducer be brought to heel? There is a horribly delightful Deus Ex Machina in this story which brings a delightfuly horrible yet satisfying conclusion.

Warning: there is some sexist discourse sprinkled here and there. The racist portrayal of a minor character makes a brief appearance. It's unfortunate, but books of this era sometimes need a little nose-holding on the part of the reader.

I wouldn't call "Man and Wife" the best novel ever written. But if you're looking for a nice 19th century novel to spend time on, the conclusions for several characters and Collins' delightful writing style make for an entertaining read.

On Mimi Wheatwind's recommendation, I read "Refuge" by Terry Tempest Williams. The book is outside my usual genres but since the narrative has a lot to do with birdwatching, I had an intellectual footing to stand on.

"Refuge" is set in Utah, mostly around the Great Salt Lake. It describes the parallel unfolding events of the author's mother dealing with cancer and the Lake's flooding that threatens everything around its shores, both human and bird habitat. In addition to birding, the author discusses Mormon culture and history, the surrounding geology of the Great Salt Lake, and conveys an appreciation for the landscape once thought of as wasteland.

The prose is great, the story riveting, and ultimately requires several tissues as an accompaniment. An epilogue discusses the epidemic of cancer in Williams' female relatives and whether atom bomb testing in the West was the cause. Recommended (and a thank you to Mimi for recommending it!)

This is a fascinating and breezy read, somewhat in the style of "The Devil and the White City" by Erik Larsen. "Poisoner's Handbook" draws the reader into history and issues which are still relevant today, namely, Prohibition and government regulation. Focusing on the newly established medical examiner's office of Charles Norris and his top scientist Alexander Gettler, it follows a number of poisonings both intentional and accidental.

This book is not for the squeamish. Many of the cases were gruesome and quite sensational back in the day. There are many unpleasant descriptions of how certain elements affect the human body. One case involved a dismembered body; another case details the horrible consequences of ingesting radium.

But it's also very interesting to look back and see how both regulation and the lack thereof killed and maimed people.The latter category included cyanide gas being used as a pesticide, and radium as medicine and used very unsafely in manufacturing. The contrasting case and elephant in the room is Prohibition, which killed and maimed thousands of people. The federal government's attempts to discourage drinking led to many more alcohol-related deaths than when alcohol was legal.

Another great aspect of the book are the career trajectories of Norris and Gettler. Norris struggled with politics in New York City and the national stage; he was a wealthy doctor who could have lived in luxury, but spent most of his time and money on his medical examiners office. His efforts led to a decrease in the corruption surrounding cororner's practices at the time. Gettler spent countless hours at the study of toxicology and published many influential papers. (If you look up Gettler, AO as author in Web of Science, you will see a distinguished number of articles with high citation counts). Both men fought against Prohibition, as a practical result of seeing so many alcohol-related deaths pass through their office; but they also supported banning substances like cyanide pesticide and lead in manufacturing.

The only criticism I can make of "Poisoner's Handbook" is the author's habit of writing out long lists, which I suspect was a method of padding out the text. Other than that, it's a good read.

PBS recently made an "American Experience" special based on this book which is enjoyable to watch, although not as informative, of course, as the book. I recommend this to anyone who enjoyed "Devil in the White City" or who enjoys the true crime genre. Thanks McKinley for the recommendation on reading it!

This outing by prolific horror author Stephen King is something of a sequel to The Shining. It follows the story of Dan Torrance, the young boy with the "shine" (psychic powers that include seeing ghosts and reading minds). As an adult, he becomes an alcoholic drifter, but finally settles down in a small town and begins his journey to sobriety via AA. He takes up a job at a nursing home and helps elderly patients by easing their journeys into death.

Over the years, Dan is repeatedly contacted by a girl with powerful psychic powers. There are a group of psychic vampires who feed on the "steam" of dying, tortured children with the shine, and they have noticed the girl's existence. The villains masquerade as every-day people who travel in caravans of RVs. They are gunning for the girl, and it's up to Dan and his friends to protect her, while Dan tries to come to terms with his past and stay on the wagon.

The details of alcoholism are a reflection of King's own struggles with the addiction.The reader learns a lot about Alcoholics Anonymous, and the terrible lifelong fight to avoid drinking. The importance of AA meetings and a strict mentor are involved.

I found this to be a middling King novel -- not a higher literary effort like "Duma Key" or a lowbrow one like "Cell". The shoutouts to "The Shining" were nice but perhaps not as neatly tied up as they could have been. I would recommend "Doctor Sleep" to diehard King fans who want a followup on Dan Torrance, or anyone interested in following the psychology of an alcoholic trying to work through the AA program and stay sober.

Here is a truly wonderful collection of short stories for fans of the "weird horror" genre. I haven't actually finished The Weird, a tome as big as a phone book. But the first 333 pages were so deliciously good, I have to believe the rest of the book will hold up -- in fact I just ordered a copy for myself.

The collection runs the gamut from ghost stories to Lovecraftian yarns to impressionistic pieces. Style and reading level vary greatly. There are a number of classics you may have read before, such as Shirley Jackson's "The Summer People" and Saki's "Sredni Vashtar." But many stories are from now-obscure authors, have been translated into English, and/or were written by non-Western authors. Thus, The Weird gives the reader a broad sampling of the literature. Brief biographies for each author supply some background information for the reader who wants to know more about the author of a particularly resonant tale.

The book will be especially interesting to Lovecraft fans who would like to learn more about his literary predecessors, as several stories are included by authors who influenced him. And naturally, his literary successors are there as well.

To sum up: if you enjoy short horror stories of the unsettling kind, you will enjoy this book. Big fans of the genre would do well to snap up their own copies before it goes out of print.

Side note: In The Weird I rediscovered "Smoke Ghost" by Fritz Leiber, which I had read long ago. And here is the story again, as wonderfully scary as ever: "... that sodden, distorted face of sacking and coal dust, that boneless paw which waved back and forth, unmistakably in his direction, as if reminding him of a future appointment ..."

This collection of short stories leans heavily toward the traditional 18th-19th century ghost story and is lacking in steampunk, contrary to the subtitle. The pieces are of varying quality and overall there is a lack of variety, so it wasn't as exciting as other collections of genre stories I've read. One exception is an outstanding contribution by Peter S. Beagle (author of The Last Unicorn); it's a wonderfully eerie tale set in an alternate history. I would recommend this book to diehard fans of the classic ghost story, but steampunk fans are likely to be disappointed.

More than 5 million people have died in the Congo in the past two decades, and yet U.S. media coverage of the Congo is sparse. If you're interested in the underpinnings of the chaos in the Congo, or the reasons and consequences for the Rwandan genocide (the two are entangled), this is a fascinating book. Fascinating, sobering and depressing. Author Jason Stearns interviewed many different people, from higher level actors to the "common man", who participated in, abetted, suffered or witnessed devastating conflicts. Their different perspectives help shine light on the cruelty and complexity of the situation.

Particularly interesting and harrowing was the story of a child soldier: the awful training he survived and the field conditions he endured. Some of the reasons for enlisting children into the military are explored. Children are more malleable, and more willing to run straight into enemy bullets.

The ravages of colonialism, ethnic rivalries, strong-men rulers, outside interests, and the presence of rich natural resources have all contributed to a failed state. Congolese elites can sell off resources, pull in outside influence, or foment ethnic hatred to maintain power. Thus there is no reason to build a strong, functioning government. The Congo is likely to remain a failed state for the forseeable future.

Dancing in the glory of monsters: the collapse of the Congo and the great war of Africa / Jason K. Stearns. Tutt Library Stacks: DT 658.26.S74 2011

Occultation is a collection of horror stories, many with a Lovecraftian bent, set in modern times. This is worthwhile reading for horror fans who enjoy good atmosphere and fleshed-out characters. However, some of the stories have less-than-clear plots and endings; the reader is often left to her or his own imagination at the close of a piece.

Particularly enjoyable were "Mysterium Tremendum", a long story about a sight-seeing trip gone horribly wrong, and "The Broadsword", a hotel-turned-apartment building where strange happenings are afoot. "Occultation" is recommended for genre fans who appreciate a literary turn and some ambiguity.

King's latest release is a book of 4 novellas and as promised in the title, all four tales are dark horror. A farmer murders his wife in "1922" and reaps the consequences; a mystery writer is raped and left for dead, and plots her revenge on "Big Driver"; a dying man gets a "Fair Extension" from the Devil; and a woman discovers a terrible secret that threatens her "Good Marriage." The epilogue contains the author's inspirations for these stories along with some stern notes on writing fiction.

King's works vary from literary to trashy and with varying amounts of fantasy; Full dark reads a bit on the literary side, while being in the realist-to-magical realism zone. There's a lot of graphic violence and gore, but none of it as bitterly unpleasant as Under the Dome. The stories don't cover any new territory for King, but a prolific author can't avoid treading on familiar ground. Full dark is sufficient reading for devoted fans and anyone looking for serious horror fiction.

Ravens are amazing, intelligent birds.We are fortunate to see them on the CC campus
and the general area; they seem more prevalent here during fall and
winter.Ravens can be differentiated
from crows by their much larger size, a heavy-duty beak and their deep,
resonant voices.They are among the
geniuses of the bird world with a high brain-body size ratio, a large
repertoire of sounds and behavior, complex social interaction, definable (if
simple) cultures, and the ability to make and use tools.They can live for decades and mate for life;
they are affectionate mates and good providers for their young.

Those interested in learning about raven behavior and intelligence can turn to Ravens in Winter (originally published in 1989) and Mind of
the Raven (1999) by Bernd Heinrich.Heinrich, a professor of Biology
at the University of Vermont and a marathon runner, became interested in
studying raven behavior in Vermont and Maine.

Ravens in Winter reads on three levels: a scientific mystery, the experience of
conducting research in frigid cold and deep snow, and descriptions of raven
behavior and ecology.The mystery that Heinrich investigates is
raven feeding patterns on animal carcasses - why is it that sometimes only a
pair feeds at a carcass, sometimes a huge gang, sometimes none at all?While trying to answer this question, the
author describes living in extremely cold temperatures, obtaining and dragging
heavy carcasses around in the snow, climbing trees, building blinds;
fascinating stuff for the reader who is safe and warm at home.In the course of his studies, Heinrich
realizes just how intelligent ravens are and how complex and seemingly baffling
their behavior is.

Mind of the Raven is a followup, after years of
more research.He has captured ravens
and kept them in aviaries, and hand-raised some birds.Here he describes the individual behavior of
various ravens, detailing their social interactions, how they paired up into
couples, their caching behavior, and how some ravens quickly learned to do
things that were not innate at all, such as pulling up meat on a string.Particularly interesting are the descriptions
of raven play - they perform acrobatics in the air, roll down snowy hills, hang
upside down from branches, pull the tails of wolves.He concludes the book with a discussion of
neuroscience, and argues for the intelligence and possible conscious awareness
of ravens.

These are both fascinating books for anyone interested in
animal behavior, in ravens, or in the process of scientific inquiry when the
subjects under study are difficult to observe and their behavior so complex
it's difficult to quantify.However,
these books are not for the squeamish.Heinrich frequently describes the dismemberment of carcasses and
roadkill, and more potentially stomach-turning scenarios.Also, there is an element of personal ego;
Heinrich has something of an attitude that seeps into these books.Finally, readers may take offense at the
sometimes callous way Heinrich treats his captive ravens, after describing them
as such intelligent individuals. He starves them for experiments, some birds
escape from his aviary, and two captive ravens die in different incidents.These caveats aside, the books are must-reads
for raven fans.

"Duma Key" is another enjoyable horror novel by prolific author Stephen King. This book is much more enjoyable not knowing where the plot will ultimately head, so I won't ruin it for potential readers. It's safe to describe the beginning: we find a self-made millionaire recovering from a severe injury. After his marriage falls apart, he decides to convalesce in the Florida Keys, in a charming pink house overlooking the sea. Phantom limbs and red rages aside, the book starts out rather prosaically and gradually picks up steam. A newly discovered artistic talent blossoms, but our hero soon realizes not all is well on this idyllic island.

Readers who stick with the book will be rewarded with plenty of mystery and several doses of the heebie-jeebies. There are some frightening and graphic scenes later on, one of which made me afraid to sleep in the dark after reading it. The various revelations that come thick and fast at the end are quite satisfying, and the "villain" is one of King's best to date.

Beyond the supernatural stuff, King explores themes of recovery from injury, artistic talent and the art world, and the politics of relationships in families. I found it particularly interesting to consider the question of a Muse's motives. That is, where does the source of artistic inspiration come from, and are the sources and the results of art unquestionably good?

Stephen King fans will pick up on similarities from previous books. In terms of writing quality, this is probably on the level of "Lisey's Story"; not a work of literary genius but definitely better than works like "Cell." I would recommend "Duma Key" to anybody who enjoys the horror genre, but has sufficient patience for the horror to develop slowly.